Note: Javascript is disabled or is not supported by your browser. For this reason, some items on this page will be unavailable. For more information about this message, please visit this page: About CDC.gov.

CORNELL DUBILIER ELECTRONICS INCORPORATED
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY

CONCLUSIONS

On the basis of the information reviewed, the ATSDR and the NJDHSS have concluded that
the CDE site in its present state poses a public health hazard. Supportive findings include PCBs
in fish collected in surface water near the site exceed FDA tolerance levels for PCBs; elevated
levels of PCBs were detected in indoor dust and the surface soils at residential properties that
may pose a health concern or potential health concern to the residents; and, workers and
trespassers (adults and children) are likely exposed to PCBs at the site at levels of public health concern.

Available data and information do not adequately characterize the extent of contamination at
the site. However, based on the available data the site poses a potential health threat to workers
due to the presence of indoor levels of PCB contamination. Although short-term effects are not
likely to occur given the levels of contamination, the site does pose a potential long-term health
threat to workers. Wipe samples for lead and cadmium are useful as a qualitative indicator of contamination, but cannot be used to assess human exposures.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Cease/Reduce Exposure

Access to contaminated areas of the CDE site should be restricted as
much as is practicable, and the area should be posted to warn potential site
trespassers of the potential hazards.

Optimal dust control measures should be utilized during remediation of
the site to prevent off-site migration of PCBs in dust or soil. An interim
measure or permanent solution to the contaminated residential yards and/or
indoor dust should be put in place as soon as possible.

Health education regarding appropriate cleaning methods (e.g., wet/damp
dusting and mopping on floors and hard surfaces with a cleaning solution)
in the homes where elevated levels of PCBs were detected in indoor dust should
be conducted.

On-site workers should be advised of the potential health risks so that
precautionary measures may be taken (for example, dust control measures).

Workers should discuss any health concerns regarding potential exposures
with their health care providers. The ATSDR and the NJDHSS can supply appropriate
information to health care providers regarding these contaminants and health.

Fish from the Bound Brook, the New Market Pond, Spring Lake, and their
tributaries should not be consumed, as there is a fish consumption advisory
currently in place for these waters.

Site Characterization

Additional sampling should be conducted to adequately characterize the extent of contamination at the CDE site and the surrounding community.

Indoor air sampling should be conducted to determine the potential health threat posed by
cadmium and lead contamination because air sampling data would be more useful in estimating potential human exposures than wipe samples.

PUBLIC HEALTH ACTION PLAN

The Public Health Action Plan (PHAP) for the CDE site contains a description of the actions to be taken
by the ATSDR and/or the NJDHSS at or in the vicinity of the site subsequent to the completion of this
public health assessment (PHA). The purpose of the PHAP is to ensure that this PHA not only identifies
public health hazards but provides a plan of action designed to mitigate and prevent adverse human
health effects resulting from exposure to hazardous substances in the environment. Included is a
commitment on the part of the ATSDR and the NJDHSS to follow up on this plan to ensure that it is
implemented. The public health actions to be implemented by the ATSDR and the NJDHSS are as
follows.

A. Public Health Actions Undertaken by the ATSDR and the NJDHSS

Environmental data have been evaluated within the context of human exposure pathways and relevant public health issues.

The NJDEP, the NJDHSS and the NJDOA, in coordination with the EPA, issued a fish advisory
for the entire length of the Bound Brook, Middlesex County and posted signs warning the public
not to consume fish from the entire length of the Bound Brook including the New Market Pond.
ATSDR provided support to these agencies in the development of the fish advisory. The
advisory warned residents of contaminated fish and advised the residents that consumption of the fish could be harmful to their health.

NJDHSS prepared a site-specific fact sheet for the CDE site and made it available to local health agencies and other interested parties.

The Piscataway Township Health Department (PTHD) has posted warning signs at the New
Market Pond in English and Spanish advising people not to eat fish from the pond. The PTHD also checks the signs weekly, and replaces them as necessary.

B. Public Health Actions Planned by the ATSDR and the NJDHSS

This Public Health Assessment document and the Citizen's Guide will be provided
to the Middlesex County Public Health Department, Middlesex County, New
Jersey.

NJDHSS and the ATSDR will assist the Middlesex County Public Health
Department by providing public health education materials and professional
expertise to explain the potential implications of human exposure to PCBs.

The NJDHSS will assist the PTHD in developing signs that are easily
understandable by individuals who do not read English or Spanish regarding the
consumption of fish from the New Market Pond.

The NJDHSS will determine what additional languages are likely to be spoken in
Piscataway for the purpose of developing signs in languages other than English and
Spanish.

As additional data becomes available on the extent and degree of off-site
contamination, ATSDR and the NJDHSS will provide health education to residents
on ways to reduce their potential exposure to PCBs present in indoor dust and
surface soils.

ATSDR will provide an annual follow-up to this PHAP, outlining the actions
completed and those in progress. This report will be provided to persons who request
it, and it will be placed in repositories that contain copies of this PHA.

Preventing Lead Poisoning in Young Children, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, October 1991.

CERTIFICATION

The Public Health Assessment for the CDE site was prepared by the New Jersey Department of Health
and Senior Services under a cooperative agreement with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR). It is in accordance with approved methodology and procedures existing at the time
the Public Health Assessment was initiated.